QUEZON CITY is strengthening its disaster preparedness and response by tapping citizen-generated information and artificial intelligence to help authorities respond more quickly to monsoon rains, typhoons, flooding, and other emergencies.

The initiative brings together the Quezon City Government and LyfSaver, a community-powered and AI-assisted disaster information platform, to connect reports from residents with existing city response mechanisms, icluding Helpline 122 and iReport.

The partnership was highlighted during the “QC, Laging Ready: Quezon City LyfSaver Roadshow” held at Quezon City Hall, led by Mayor Joy Belmonte and LyfSaver convenors Dingdong Dantes of YesPinoy Foundation, Atom Araullo of Fyt Media, and Voltaire Tupaz of Lyf Solutions.

Belmonte said disaster preparedness should be a shared responsibility between the government and the community, emphasizing the importance of timely and reliable information from residents.

“Building a disaster-ready Quezon City is not the responsibility of government alone. Every QCitizen can help make our communities safer by sharing timely and reliable information and knowing how to act on it,” Belmonte said.

She added that integrating community participation with technology and established response systems could further improve the city’s ability to prepare for and manage emergencies.

LyfSaver operates on a “crowdsource, verify, and mobilize” model. Launched in 2024, the platform now incorporates AI-assisted verification and data aggregation while retaining human judgment in evaluating information.

“Technology can help us process more information faster, but trust is not something AI can automate,” Tupaz said.

He explained that LyfSaver combines community reports, AI assistance, and human verification to help ensure that useful information reaches barangays and responders when immediate action is needed.

The platform was previously tested during severe flooding in North Fairview in July 2025, when community reports helped responders locate and assist residents who were trapped by floodwaters.

The experience was later documented in “Buhay LyfSaver,” highlighting how reliable information from communities can translate into concrete response efforts.

Participants in the roadshow also took part in hands-on exercises demonstrating the information-to-action process, including reporting incidents, verifying and escalating information, and linking validated reports to barangay and city response workflows.

Dantes said the platform could help organize the Filipinos’ strong culture of volunteerism during disasters by providing residents with clearer ways to contribute. “We have never lacked Filipinos who are willing to help. The challenge is how we connect that willingness to reliable information and concrete opportunities to act,” Dantes said.

He added that residents can contribute by reporting incidents, sharing verified information, or volunteering when assistance is needed.

LyfSaver is intended to complement, rather than replace, Quezon City’s existing disaster response systems. Its citizen-generated and AI-assisted information provides an additional layer of community intelligence that can support barangays, the Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (QCDRRMO), Helpline 122, iReport, and other city offices.

The initiative forms part of the city’s vision of becoming a smarter and more resilient community, where residents help identify what is happening on the ground, technology assists in organizing and verifying information, and government agencies turn reliable reports into timely action.

The roadshow concluded with a Pledge of Commitment among Quezon City officials and LyfSaver partners, reaffirming their cooperation toward building safer, better-prepared, and more resilient communities.